We Ask What Makes A Cow Great? Plus, Power Tools & Western Art Up For Grabs

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, our 13-year-old dog Allie passed away recently. It’s tough to replace an old friend and faithful companion like her, but my husband Tyler and I got a new puppy a month ago and we’re going about getting to know each other. Her name is Quinn, and we now are in the throes of puppy training.

The two experiences got me to thinking about the old adage, “You only get one good horse and one good dog in your lifetime, if you’re lucky.” While playing fetch with Quinn one day, I started to wonder if that rings true for cattle as well.

At the end of our lifetimes in the cattle business, will there be that one good cow that stands above the rest?

Obviously, we all hope that the vast majority of our cows are the good-doing kind -- the kind you feel confident bragging about at the coffee shop. But I imagine for many of you, myself included, there is still that one great cow that’s special to you. She’s the one that perhaps has a good calf every year, raises the biggest bull calves and has the sweetest disposition. She’s the one you’ll fondly remember.

This week on BEEF Daily, we are hosting a photo caption contest using a photo of a herd bull I’m quite partial to. Readers were asked to caption the photo of this bull for a chance to win power tools from PORTER-CABLE and BOSTITCH.

The second-place winner and one person selected via a general drawing of all participants will receive a two-tool combo kit worth $179. It includes a ½-in. drill/driver and ¼-in hex chuck impact driver, compact lithium ion batteries, a lithium ion standard charger, a double-ended bit tip, and a PH2 screwdriving bit. The contest ends at noon today, and we’ll announce our two winners tomorrow.

You can enter the contest here for a chance to win the power tools, and maybe get your Christmas shopping done early for that special someone.

As an added bonus, we will give away one limited-edition, signed and numbered, western art print, valued at $100. To be eligible to win the print, simply describe your favorite cow and what makes her great in the comments section below. One winner will be randomly selected from the entries.

So what makes a cow great? What makes her memorable? And how do you duplicate those results through an entire herd? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.